Following defeats by Swansea and Barcelona, this was Arsenal’s third consecutive loss at the Emirates – their worst home run since moving from Highbury in 2006.

Defeat at home to Swansea in early March saw Arsenal’s Premier League aspirations take a serious blow, and with the gap to leaders Leicester having since moved out to eight points, winning the title looks very unlikely.

Then followed their 2-0 reverse at home to Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League. Not many Gunners fans will be betting against the Spanish side progressing at their expense in the second leg on Wednesday.

Victory in this year’s FA Cup was without a doubt the club’s best chance of silverware. And it would have been Wenger’s seventh triumph, making him the most successful manager in the history of the competition.

Watford stunned FA Cup holders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium to book their place in the semi-finals at Wembley. Naija bet

Now, though, the pressure will be on the Frenchman like never before during his near 20-year reign in north London.

If Arsenal’s two consecutive FA Cup trophies were supposed to demonstrate progress towards winning the league or the Champions League, what does this season’s disappointing exit herald?

Former Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss Rafael Benitez has been tipped to take over.

McClaren’s future has been a source of almost constant speculation since the defeat to the Cherries.

“Newcastle have finally put Steve McClaren out of his misery.

“The running of that great football club is beyond shambolic.”

Ian Dennis, said Benitez had been identified as a replacement for McClaren at a board meeting on Monday.

McClaren, 54, signed a three-year contract with the Magpies in June after the club avoided relegation on the final day of last season.

Newcastle’s next game is at leaders Leicester City on Monday.

Club statement

“After the defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday, the club has spent some time considering its position and has today concluded that Steve McClaren’s employment with the club will end with immediate effect.

“We acknowledge that reaching this decision has taken a number of days and that this has caused uncertainty for everyone involved, in particular for Steve and the players, for which we apologise.

“However, we felt that this time was necessary to ensure the right decisions were reached with the best interests of the club at heart. Naijabet.com

Cristiano Ronaldo has said Real Madrid need to add “continuity, luck, ambition” to their game following their 2-0 win over AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday and praised Gareth Bale for his performance on his successful return to action following injury.

“We know the quarter and semi-finals are going to be much more difficult. We’re still lacking a lot. We’re lacking continuity, luck, ambition… but if we continue like this, I think we’re on the right path.”

he said of the Welshman: “Bale played really well considering he had been out of action for so long. I thought Lucas Vazquez was great too. He’s a great asset for the team, playing well and fighting when he gets a chance.”

Ronaldo recently generated controversy by criticising his team-mates following Real’s 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid, saying: “If we were all at my level maybe we would be leaders,” per BBC Sport.

However, despite assertion that his latest comments signal he “has done it again,” this time it appears he has simply made a frank and honest assessment of the team’s shortcomings. Naijabet.com

Togo coach Tom Saintfiet is hopeful he may yet be able to convince Emmanuel Adebayor to return to the national team, after the striker rejected a call-up for their forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tunisia.

“As national team coach, I want Adebayor to return to the national team, I want him to be there, I want him to play and I want him to score goals for our country,

Adebayor has had a difficult relationship with Saintfiet in the past.

The former Tottenham, Manchester City and Arsenal player had not been picked since failing to turn up for a Nations Cup qualifier against Djibouti in September following a row over losing the captaincy. Naijabet new

But Saintfiet says he has been monitoring Adebayor’s progress at Crystal Palace and is hopeful the striker may change his mind about returning to the national set-up before the Tunisia match on 25 March.

“I got the information that Adebayor gave a message that he is is not ready to come back, but let’s see what happens in the next coming weeks,” he said.

“We have still a few weeks before the match, so I hope we can still convince him to return to the national team.”

Liverpool produced a sensational performance to take a 2-0 lead in its UEFA Europa League series with Manchester United on a night to remember at Anfield. A Daniel Sturridge penalty kick in the first half and Roberto Firmino’s latest goal in the closing stages were the key moments in a display that would have brought even more were it not for David de Gea in the opposition goal. The key points: Sturridge’s penalty kick put the Reds ahead after 20 minutes.

Scholes, who made 718 appearances for United, told BT Sport that the Old Trafford club “have certain standards and they have fallen well short”.

He added: “Liverpool had a way of playing. United didn’t have a clue.”

“Manchester United should be competing to win the Premier League and Champions League every season,” said Scholes.

“They have spent £300m and they are sixth in the league. They have ended up in the Europa League after failing in a poor Champions League group. They should be competing with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

“I hope none of the players comes out saying sorry on Twitter. Stop talking on social media and start playing. Naijabet

ZlatanIbrahimovic would be the perfect signing for Arsenal in the summer as he would bring a winning mentality to the club that is currently lacking, according to Rio Ferdinand.

The former Manchester United centre-back said after Ibrahimovic masterminded Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-1 UEFA Champions League victory over Chelsea on Wednesday, that English clubs should be looking to snap him up when his contract with the French club expires in the summer.

He showed that even at 34, as a free transfer English clubs should be looking at this guy to come over here and be the catalyst to winning things because that’s what he does—he wins things.

This game was decided by clinical top-level play and he was at the centre of that both times, one with an assist and one with a goal which basically ended the tie.

What he’d bring to Arsenal is a mentality, what they’re lacking to win. To get over the line and win titles. He’s done that more than anyone.

Ibrahimovic remains one of the best players in Europe and has netted 23 goals and provided 10 assists in Ligue 1 this season as PSG have opened up a 23-point gap at the top of the table. Naija play and win

“The title is not ours,” said Leicester City Manager Claudio Ranieri. “Something special can happen, but we have to fight a lot, slowly, slowly.” Naijabet.com

Those cautious words, said on television after Leicester’s latest win at Watford , contained for the first time an acknowledgement from this wily old coach that the seemingly impossible could happen.

Ranieri has been in denial throughout this remarkable season. His mantra has been that the Foxes are a small club running just to survive and that he has been expecting them to be chased down by the pack, led by Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester City.

He is right, to the extent that it is still an implausible dream that a club the size of Leicester ever could win the Premiership. Yet with nine games remaining after this weekend, and with the Foxes five points ahead of their closest rival, the chasers are beginning to run out of games to reel Leicester in.

Thomas Muller says he does not know in what aspect Barcelona could be superior to Bayern Munich.

Muller, 26, scored the opening goal of the game in Bayern’s 2-2 draw at Juventus in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie as the Bundesliga champions aim to win a second European crown in four years.

Bayern were knocked out of last year’s tournament in the semi-finals by Barcelona – who went on to win the treble – but Muller believes the clubs are more even than most people think. Naijabet

“Barcelona are in a good moment and they come from winning the treble last season,” the Germany international told Sport1. “But I see Bayern as one of the strongest in Europe, naturally alongside Barcelona.

“Bayern are first in the [Bundesliga], are one game away from a cup final, and got a good result away in the first leg of the round of 16.

“I don’t know where they are better than us.”

The forward added: “You can see every week how good they are, but also you can see our games and say ‘Yes, they are also very strong’.

“If we find ourselves up against Barcelona again, we will be prepared.”

Chelsea’s Champions League hopes were ended by Paris St-Germain at the last-16 stage once more as Zlatan Ibrahimovic inspired the French champions to victory at Stamford Bridge. Naijabet.com

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored in four consecutive Champions League matches.

PSG built on their 2-1 lead from the first leg when Ibrahimovic crossed perfectly for Adrien Rabiot to score from close range after 16 minutes.

Diego Costa’s smart finish put Chelsea level on the night before half-time, but his departure through injury on the hour and Ibrahimovic’s simple finish from Angel di Maria’s delivery seven minutes later sent PSG into the last eight.

The visitors, who knocked Chelsea out on away goals at this stage last season, ended the night in total control.

Chelsea – 10th in the Premier League – now face the prospect of being without European football next season, with Costa and Eden Hazard limping off injured before Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final at Everton.

Anyone seeking to understand Chelsea’s steady return to form under interim manager Guus Hiddink will find a partial explanation in the unassuming figure of holding midfielder John Mikel Obi.

Having started just two of Chelsea’s final 16 Premier League games under Jose Mourinho, Mikel has started nine of 12 under Hiddink in the only notable non-enforced personnel change that the Dutchman has made to the starting XI. Naijabet.com

As well as being unbeaten in their 12 league games to date under Hiddink, Chelsea’s average number of goals conceded per game has dropped from 1.625 to 1, and Mikel’s defensive nous has been an important factor.

“He’s the ideal player to bring balance to the team,” Hiddink said earlier this year.

“He knows where the strength of the opponent is and he knows exactly how to cope with that.

“He doesn’t do it in a very brutal way — he’s very, very elegant. What I like to see very much is not just a quality player, but a player who can defend so smoothly. It’s beautiful to see.”

It is a configuration that has helped Chelsea climb to 10th in the league, kindling hope that they may yet succeed in overturning a 2-1 deficit in today’s Champions League clash at home to Paris Saint-Germain.

Mikel missed the two previous Champions League ties with PSG over the last two seasons. An unused substitute in both legs of the quarter-final in 2013-14, he was recovering from knee surgery last season.

But he has already made his mark on this season’s last 16 tie, having been the source of two goals in the first leg at Parc des Princes.